stones carelessly placed on end against one side, and they had several pots of lapis ollaris for culinary purposes. These people seemed to us altogether more cleanly than any Esquimaux we had before seen, both in their persons and in the interior of their tent, in neither of which could we discov. er much of that rancid and pungent smell which is in general so offensive to Europeans. One in. stance of their cleanliness which now occurred, deserves, perhaps, to be noticed, both because this is justly considered rather a rare quality among Esquimaux, as well as to show in what way they do sometimes exercise it. When leaving the tent to return to our boats, I desired one of the seamen to tie the articles we had purchased into a single bundle, for the convenience of carrying them; but the elder of the two male Esquimaux, who watched the man thus employed, would not permit it to be done without excluding a pot, which, as he explain. ed by wiping the lampblack off with one of his fingers, would soil a clean sealskin jacket that form. ed part of the bundle.

Among the few domestic utensils we saw in the tent was the woman's knife of the Greenlanders described by Crantz, and resembling, in its semicircular shape, that used by shoemakers in England. The most interesting article, however, was a kind of bowl, exactly similar to that obtained by Captain Lyon from the natives of Hudson's Strait, being hollowed out of the root of the musk-ox's horn. As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the boy who was our first companion, and had since been our constant attendant, pronounced the word oomingmuk, thus affording an additional confirmation to

that obtained on the former voyage, of the muskox being the animal described by the natives of the west coast of Greenland as having occasionally, though rarely, been seen in that country.

As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more familiar with us, they repeatedly asked for sowik (iron), in answer to which we gave them to understand that they must accompany us to our boats if they wished to obtain any of this precious article. Accordingly, the whole group set off with us on our return, the males keeping up with us, and the women a short distance behind. The whole of the children carried bundles of the branches of ground willow, which we had just before seen them bring in for their own use, and which they seemed to consider an article of barter that might be acceptable to us. As we returned I noticed a quantity of the ledum palustre, and, having plucked some of it, gave it to the boy to carry; after which, though he very much disliked its smell, he gathered every root of it that we came to, and deposited it at our tents. This lad was uncommonly quick and clever in comprehending our meaning, and seemed to possess a de. gree of good-humour and docility which, on our short acquaintance, made him a great favourite among us.

We had hitherto been much pleased with our new acquaintance, who were certainly a good-humoured, decent sort of people. We therefore load. ed them with presents, and endeavoured to amuse them by showing them the manner of rowing our boats, which were hauled up on the beach. While the men and children were occupied in observing this, the women were no less busily employed, near

the tents, in pilfering and conveying into their boots some of our cups, spoons, and other small articles, such as they could conveniently secrete. This they accomplished with so much dexterity, that no suspicion would have been excited of their dishonesty had not Mr. Sherer fortunately missed a cup which was required for supper. A general search being instituted in consequence, and the cargo of the women's boots brought back to our tents, I directed all our presents to be likewise taken from the two offenders; and, dismissing the whole party with great appearance of indignation, thus put an end, for the present, to our communication with these people.

We spent the two next days in exploring a creek which we called CULGRUFF, and another on the op posite or eastern shore, which received the name of NORMAN'S CREEK, and returned to the Hecla on the evening of the 14th.

I learned from Captain Lyon that the Hecla had just anchored at her present station, the Fury still remaining at the former place, into which the ice had lately come so thick as to require the assistance of all hands from both ships to warp and tow the Hecla out. Proceeding with a fresh boat's crew towards the Fury, which we found close beset by thick and heavy ice, we succeeded, after much diffi. culty, in hauling the boat through it, and arrived on board at ten P.M.

As soon as the tide would serve in the offing on the morning of the 15th, we weighed, and, by means of warping and towing, in which we were assisted by Captain Lyon's boats, succeeded in joining the Hecla at her anchorage at three P.M.

CHAPTER V.

Farther Examination in the Boats for the purpose of Connecting the shores of Lyon Inlet with that of Gore Bay.- Continuity of the Land determined.-Fresh Detention by the Ice.- Boats carried over Land.-Return to the Ships.-Progress out of the Inlet prevented by the Ice.-The Fury grounds upon a Rock. -Anchor in Safety Cove.-Heavy Easterly gales.-Proceed out of the Inlet.-Arrival in a Bay on the south side of Winter Island. Ships secured in Winter-quarters.

AGAIN leaving the ships on the 15th, we rowed before sunset between six and seven miles along the high southwestern land, passing what appeared a small harbour, with an island near the middle of the entrance, and landed on a shingly beach near a small bay or creek, extending three quarters of a mile to the W.N.W., and then terminating in a deep broad valley. We left the shore at half past four A.M. on the 16th, and in an hour's sailing, with a fresh northwest wind, came to some loose ice, through which we continued to make our way till eleven o'clock, when it became so close that a passage could no longer be found in any direction. There was also so much young ice in every small interval between the loose masses, that the boats were much cut about the water-line in endeavouring to force through it. In order, therefore, to avoid the risk of being altogether driven from the shore, I determined to attempt a passage into the bay, which was three quarters of a mile distant; and in this, after two hours' labour, we at length succeeded. Finding that the ice was likely

to prove an obstacle of which we could not calcu late the extent or continuance, we began at once to reduce our daily expenditure of provisions, in order to meet any contingency.

Ascending the hill at daylight on the 17th, we were much disappointed in finding that, though the ice continued to drive a little to the S.E., it was even more compact than before, the loose masses through which we had sailed the preceding day be. ing now closely set together.

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As soon as it was light enough on the 18th to make out the situation of the ice, which had now drifted considerably to the southward, we left the bay with a fresh and favourable breeze, and at a quarter past eight A.M., after a quick run through sailing ice," landed to breakfast on the southeast point of this shore, which afterward received the name CAPE MARTINEAU. Proceeding from hence with a strong breeze and a considerable sea ahead, but the flood tide still running slowly with us to the N.W., we rowed several miles close along the shore, and entered at dusk a little cove, where the tents were pitched and the boats moored for the night.

The night being cold, clear, and nearly calm, a quantity of "bay-ice," half an inch in thickness, had, on the morning of the 19th, formed in the cove, and for some distance outside of it, which again cut the boats' planks very much, besides occasioning great loss of time in getting through it. This symptom of approaching winter, which had now for the first time occurred to us, rendered it expedient in future to select the most open beaches for our resting-places at night. After tracing VOL. I.-U